


DESCENT: Overseas

by DrHuggles_j



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-14 23:46:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19283656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrHuggles_j/pseuds/DrHuggles_j
Summary: Naive son of a fisherman gets kidnapped by 'pirates' because he's dumb.  He then tries to escape but his emotional attachment driven by bloody means overrules supernatural intervention.





	1. Chapter 1

It was cold, freezing. The weather had decided to take a turn for the worst once December began, gradually growing worse over time. Jared could see nothing through it all, and his whole body felt numb with the thick downfall of snow. He was supposed to be helping his father at the docks with repairs, but he had instead gotten stuck in a snowstorm after staying out for a party. He was lucky to have found his coat and shoes with the help of the sobering party members.  
‘You should have moved out of the house by now, yet you still can’t get a grip on yourself,’ he thought to himself, tightening the heavy coat around him and shivering.  
He soon caught sight of the docks, not too far from his home. Feeling encouraged by a nice place out of the merciless storm, he trudged on. Jared hadn’t noticed the new ship at the docks, or how someone had left it and was following close behind.  
The familiar sight of the wooden homes greeted him, the howling wind blowing the gray smoke rising from the rooftops.  
Before reaching the pathway that led to his home, he felt a harsh tug at his waist, a hand clamped over his mouth. He was slowly dragged away, flailing his arms and legs trying to kick and tug at the strong arms pulling him away. Jared continued to fight until it felt hard to breathe and the world became blurry and dark.

“Does he look rich to you?” How can we keep a poor kid for ransom?!” He heard a voice say as he regained his senses. The room felt warm and musty, finally noticing the abundance of people in the small, wooden quarters. The voices ceased once a man began to approach him with a grin on his face.  
The man had curly, almost violet hair, pulled back into a ponytail with strands coiling in front of his ears and almost obscuring the left side of his face. He wore a dark coat and dapper clothing compared to the rest of the men surrounding him. He had fair skin which contrasted with his eyes, a deep shade of red which seemed to be piercing into the man with greed.  
“You’re quite the catch,” he said with a wry smile and continued to circle Jared who had been tied to the chair, his great coat taken from him. It was an uncomfortable silence until the man hummed in thought. He leaned forward inspecting his face and spoke, “I could sell you,” the sound of heels on the floorboards starting again.  
Jared could feel the dread settling in as the stranger continued to slowly circle him.  
“You won’t be worth much though,” he flicked his eyes to someone out of Jared’s vision with a look of disappointment.  
“You wanted someone before we left,” the addressed person spoke with worry. The assumed ‘captain’ waved it off.  
“It’s fine,” he answered in a sigh. Jared’s hair was forcefully tugged back to face the captain.  
“As for you,” he said in a chipper tone, “you can stay up here.”  
After releasing him, he turned to leave, the captain’s trench coat blowing behind him as the cold air suddenly entered the room.  
“Set course for South-east!” He barked to the crew who scrambled out of the tight room all at once.  
Once they all left, the room felt cold again. The captain turned around on his heel, an air of curiosity, “Tell me, what’s your name?”  
He kept his mouth shut, eyes scanning the room for anything that could be of aid. The room had no other exit besides the door behind the stranger.  
“Aw, shy?” He stepped closer, Jared’s shoulders stiffening in discomfort.  
He felt the ship rock and move, the captain seeming unfazed by the boat’s movements.  
“Wait! The storm!” Jared spoke, remembering the heavy downcast of snow.  
“Ah, finally talking?” Amusement in his voice. The stranger stepped forward and sat in a chair across from him, back straight and legs crossed.  
“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” he said smiling, not calming Jared’s nerves at all.  
“B-but my parents! I have to-”  
“Nonsense, if you cared about your parents that much, you would have stayed home.”  
His words stuck in his throat, he should have stayed home.  
“Now we’re avoiding the question at hand, what is your name?’  
He remained silent.  
“Well, you won’t live long with that attitude!” He quickly sat up and left, leaving the door wide open and letting the cold air in.  
Jared shivered, hoping he would be able to escape as soon as possible.


	2. Seasick

It only got colder as the sun began to set, a noise bringing him out of his trance.  
“I’ll strike a deal,” the stranger held a cup of steaming soup in his hand, shutting the door with the other. His smile was still persistent.  
“If you tell me your name, I’ll let you eat.”  
Jared scanned the captain’s face and was tempted to speak, but held back. He studied the ground as the room filled with an unsettling stillness.   
He could have sworn the man’s mouth had twitched.  
“Well then, good night!”  
Once again, the door stayed open, the air filling the room again and leaving Jared to shiver.  
Sometime during the night, he had fallen asleep and woke groggily, unable to feel his fingers since his hands were still bound to the back of the chair.  
Soon, footsteps neared the open door.  
“Good morning! Care to tell me your name in exchange for,” he pat the small bag which Jared guessed held food.  
He didn’t feel very hungry, mainly sick and worried; not to mention cold.  
He glimpsed tiredly at the stranger and looked down at the floor once again.  
A few minutes passed until the captain left, repeating what he had done the previous night.  
This continued until the end of the fourth day. Jared felt quite ill and thirsty, only having had spirits the night before he was taken. The stranger entered in like the days before and asked the same question, this time holding a single cup of water, the metal shining against the lantern’s light. He eyed the man suspiciously, looking between the cup and the stranger’s face. After some thought, Jared looked down again as if the wooden floorboards were the most important things in the world.  
He heard a huff.   
“Are you serious, is it that hard?” The standing man dropped his smile in exasperation.   
“This is getting pathetic.”  
Jared glanced up and blinked at him with a blank expression.  
The stranger placed the cup down, picked up the lantern, and left.  
The cup was about a foot away, but Jared still remained tied to the chair.  
‘What if it was poisoned?’ He quickly dismissed the thought and used his feet to move forward. He looked down with a lack of ideas; unable to reach the water. He sighed in defeat and hung his head back.  
The ship suddenly rocked to its side, sending Jared to the floor and sliding to the wall farthest from the door. He stood up, realizing the rope had become loose enough to lift himself out of the chair yet stay attached.  
Jared loosened the rope tied to the back of the chair and flipped it so he could stand. He felt dizzy from sitting for so long but continued to work his hands out of the binds. He managed to slip them out, giddy and nervous of the escape.   
He peeked out the door, listening for any signs of the crew. The deck was dark, the sky lit only by the dimmed stars, the moon unseen. Jared stepped out of the room, noting, what he presumed, was the captain’s room across the ship.  
The inky waves continued to violently strike the ship but not strong enough to make the man fall or stumble like before.  
Jared spun around, not a glimpse of land to be seen. He held his breath, too scared to believe he was that far out from any signs of land. He would travel out on his father’s boat during the beginning of winter to fish, never too far from the town’s sight.  
He should have expected this, the ship leaving, but he couldn’t believe it had been that long away from home.   
Jared shuddered, eyes desperately searching the ship.   
He pondered if he could turn the ship around, but realized he had no clue where they were and which direction home was.   
The wind continued to buffet his face, feeling numb from being outside for so long.  
Jared took a step back, feeling unbalanced and his stomach churning. He fell forwards, unable to hear the sound of his head making contact with the deck.

Jared awoke, feeling a sore pain on his right temple. He tried to sit up and was gently pushed back down by a gloved hand.  
He glared at the man sitting in a chair to his left.  
“Took quite the fall,” the stranger spoke, Jared unable to read his void expression.  
He attempted to get up again only to be pushed again with more force.  
“Is that any way to thank me?”   
He merely averted his attention to the captain’s collection of swords hung upon the wall.  
The man in the seat gave a tired sigh.  
“So stubborn, and here I thought I was helping!”  
Though annoyed, he continued to sit waiting for Jared’s reaction.  
“Well, I guess it’s best that you know who I am. I’m captain of this ship, The Rogue,” the elegantly dressed man spoke, looking to impress his audience.  
His ‘audience’ only continued to inspect the right corner of the room.  
Without a response, the captain spoke once more, “I am also known as Vidya.”  
Jared saw that the door was on the left side of the cabin, behind Vidya. He wasn’t able to get past him, the captain didn’t look puny like him.  
Jared was about to speak an offhand remark before he winced and touched his throat with his left hand. No food or water for four days in the cold left his throat sore and dry.  
He glared at the captain and dared to get up again on the right side of the bed, taking notice of the dark wooden nightstand which many empty bottles of rum sat on.  
‘Pirates,’ he thought with a bitter tone and got to his feet only to feel nauseated again. He steadied himself and continued towards the door until he felt his arm get grabbed by Vidya.  
“And where do you think you’re going?”  
If Jared could spit in his face, he would.   
He remained silent as the room seemed to spin. The captain gave another sigh of defeat.  
“Fine, I’ll get you water. Just-” He made sure the man sat down.  
“Just don’t try to get up,” his tone laced with concern.  
Jared’s headache seemed to spike, he pressed his palms against his shut eyes trying to will the pain to leave.  
Vidya quickly entered again and handed him a silver cup with water.  
He snatched it from his hands and eyed it before taking a sip and then downing the rest.  
He coughed and felt he would vomit, clamping a hand over his mouth to keep it down. His breathing slowly returned and he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he noted the captain’s worried expression.  
“Rest for now,” he said settling the frail man down onto the bed before quickly leaving.  
‘Strange,’ was all Jared thought as his thoughts faded away.


	3. Storage

Jared abruptly woke up and noticed Vidya had fallen asleep in the chair to his left from the previous day.  
He was finally able to closely observe the room.  
Besides a nightstand, a desk sat to the right of the room, in the center. Papers littered the heavy desk, maps and more empty liquor bottles accompanied broken quills and many knives stuck into the wooden table. An aged mirror was hung to the front of the wall towards the right, before the table. It had a golden frame with delicately carved designs. A small scarab beetle sat at its top. The sword rack was behind the table, parallel to the nightstand. A small, dull picture of a woman in a silver frame sat on the trunk at the foot of the bed. The room was lit by the high window in the right wall.  
A canteen sat on the nightstand, the bottles discarded.  
Jared took it and slowly drank its contents. He still felt hollow and a bit sick, but he was better than before.  
Vidya began to stir where he sat, Jared admiring how his features looked when he wasn’t straining to please.  
It took a bit for the captain to finally render who was in his bed and where he was.  
His position stiffened to an upright posture and his face turned into a neutral expression of indifference.  
Standing, he spoke, “I hope you’re feeling better.” Vidya straightened his vest and cravat, walking over to the hook near the door where his coat hung.  
“And if you are, you can follow me,” it came out as more of a command than an option.  
Jared stood, Vidya rushing to his side to help him up. The captain still held a nervous air about him.  
They walked out and to the side of the room; stepping down a panel leading down.  
The second they entered the room, the men loitering the open space quieted, all eyes on the newcomer.  
“Damien,” he called, the voice almost startling everyone out of their daze. Everything seemed to slowly return to its previous state, the crew talking among themselves.  
A man approached wearing an off white button down with the sleeves rolled up. He had dark dreads with gold clips, his eyes a bright amber contrasting with his dark skin. However, most notable was the deep scar that crossed from under his left eye down over his nose, ending shortly on his upper right cheek.  
“This is our navigator, Damien,” Vidya spoke, the navigator nodding in greeting. The young man didn’t speak, sheepishly locking eyes with an object on the ground instead.  
The captain cleared his throat, “he can show you around while you adjust to the ship.” He walked away, glancing behind himself once more before leaving to the upper decks.  
“Not one to speak, are you?” Damien said, a familiar accent lingering. Jared realize that the other must also be from Wales.  
“I understand, but I’m still going to teach you the basics.” Jared only wrapped his arms around himself as the navigator led him to the upper deck near where the ropes were fastened down.  
“To tie them,” Damien said adjusting the loose ropes, “you just-”  
The newcomer approached and re-tied the loose ropes with ease.  
“I see…” He said pausing in his work.  
“You took me from a port town,” Jared spoke, his throat still sore from lack of water.  
“Then I suppose I don’t need to teach you anything else,” Damien walked off and signalled Jared to follow once more. They went below deck, into a cramped hallway that had two doors on each side and an open room at the end. Hammocks hung on the walls and hooks with bags were nailed near each one.  
“You can have one of those if you like,” he pointed to a wall on the right where a few hammocks without bags near them were.  
“Some men end up resting on the deck above this one, the dining room.”  
He could hear dull laughter and footsteps above him.  
“You can accompany me back up on the deck to watch the others if you wish.” The man walked through the room to another hatch that led up. Jared reluctantly followed.  
They sat on some crates in front of the room Jared had been kept in, the storage room.  
“That’s the boatswain,” he pointed to a woman slightly shorter than everyone coming up from the lower decks.  
She wore a bandana over the lower half of her face and her red hair was tied in a long braid. She took notice of the newcomer, eyes narrowing.  
Before Damien could say anymore, the boatswain had hurried over and was standing in front of the newcomer with an air of excitement.  
“I didn’t get a chance to see ya!” The woman said cheerily with an accent Jared was unable to identify.  
“I heard you talking about me,” she said, her eyes revealing an unseen smile.  
‘I’m Sera,” she said holding out her hand.  
“Ah-” he was about to speak before being cut off by Damien.  
“You’re frightening him.”  
“I’m sorry, we haven’t had a newcomer in ages,” she said dramatically before turning her attention to the brunette.  
“You’re from Wales!” It was said as more of a statement than a question.  
“Just like Damien!” She said clapping her hand on the navigator’s shoulder.  
“Seraphine!” He said raising his voice and looking at her as if conveying an unspoken message.  
Sera’s eyes seemed to dull with a sort of recognition and dampened her mood.  
“It’s okay, you can show our new member around the ship. You know where absolutely everything is,” Damien said recovering.  
Her eyes lightened up.  
“I’ll show you my new project!”  
Before he could protest, the newcomer was dragged away.  
Jared was lead behind the captain’s quarters to a small hatch hidden away under a collection of barrels and rope.  
Dropping down, he followed after her into the dimly lit room. It was relatively small with a tiny glass window serving as the only source of light.  
“Captain suggested making this a horde room,” she said startling the other out of his thoughts.  
“Jumpy, are we?” Sera spoke with a gentle smile.  
“So, what do you think this should be? Everyone has their own ideas on it, mainly to make it their own,” she huffed in irritation.  
Jared remained silent, staring out the window at the rolling waves.  
Seraphine walked over and sat next to him on one of the many crates occupying the area.  
“I know this won’t sound like much, but…” She looked outside.  
“You’ll be okay.”


	4. Silver Ship & Tamed

Sera had shown to be supportive company; distracting Jared from his worries by showing him the secret passageways and crawl spaces on the ship. She looked out for him and made sure he ate something every day.  
Damien only watched over him according to orders. The captain was never in his sight.

A wolf as dark as night ran through the silver woods, stars adorning its back as if it were the midnight sky. Its eyes were a void, white and glowing while a single golden eye gazed forward in the middle of its forehead. The wolf, upon closer examination, was quite big. It looked to be over five feet, dwarfing the tall shrubs and boulders. It let out a harrowing howl, waking Jared from his rest.  
He had been sneaking off into the hidden room every night to sleep since the crewmates were all too noisy for him. Being an only child, he never had to deal with sharing a room. The dream was not helping either.  
Jared sat up, looking out the window again. The moon’s light was shining in, casting an ethereal glow over the floorboards.  
He finally stood up and climbed out of the hideaway.  
The stars seemed dim and small compared to the moon, making the ship look like a silver ghost.  
Careful to cover the hatch, he went around the captain’s quarters and across the deck to sit against the storage room.  
He looked up and shut his eyes until he heard a door creak.  
The hatch leading down to the crew had opened revealing a dark figure, the moonlight lighting his left side.  
Vidya looked surprised by seeing the man there. He might even say flustered.  
“I was uh…” He trailed off, realizing he had no excuse.  
“Looking for me?” Jared spoke.  
Vidya silently climbed up and stood as if addressing a crewmate their orders while his expression betrayed his posture.  
“I wanted to check in.”  
“At night?”  
They remained silent, both knowing the answer.  
“Do you see him too?” Vidya spoke abruptly. “The wolf?”  
“The wolf?” Jared asked in a hushed tone.  
“Its fur is marked with the sky and it has three eyes.”  
“Why do you ask?”  
“I was curious,” he said looking out over the sea. “Amora says she sees him too.”  
“What makes you think I’ve had them?” Jared inquired.  
“Because no one else wakes up at night.”  
“Maybe it’s because of other reasons,” he bitterly spoke.  
Without asking, the captain continued on.  
“The wolf,” he whispered. “It always attacks my right shoulder, so I can see a man with gray eyes above me once I fall back.” The captain seemed to glare at Jared.  
“Don’t worry then, my eyes are green,” he said trying to brush off the man’s accusation.  
“They are gray to me,” he simply stated.  
Jared didn’t argue with the captain.

 

Jared had finally managed to befriend Damien after many months. Damien showed to be quite caring once he began to trust Jared, but looked at the more realistic aspects of life, unlike Seraphine.  
He discovered that they both knew Welsh and spoke to each other whenever they could, upsetting Sera when she was kicked out of the conversation.  
When Jared had spoken to him of the captain’s dreams, he remained silent and switched topics.  
They had traveled to a few ports to pick up bonds tributed to their ship. Multiple locations paid them to protect their seas, especially, what Jared had learned, ‘America’. Damien explained how they were basically privateers, though Vidya refused to call themselves that.  
He eventually had built up his strength and woke up on time to aid the crew but still had the same dream only, unlike the captain’s, the wolf stayed close by his side as if to guard him against whatever lied in the silver woods.

“Jared,” a man had spoken, his booming voice echoing around the dining hall.  
Jared had to eventually tell the captain his name after being caught in one of the crawl spaces Amy had shown him. He had been repetitively called nicknames which, based on the little German he knew, Jared deemed inappropriate according to the multiple chuckles escaping from some of the crew.  
Everyone turned their heads to see their captain standing on top of a barrel, looking down at the man.  
“Come up here!” He said in a joyful tone, the rest of the crew cheering him on.  
“I usually don’t do this since we already have our navigator,” he said while the crew cheered at Damien who sat with a smug expression on his face.  
“Jared, you have shown to be a great aid on this ship. I’ve taken a liking to you,” the crowd hollered and whistled at the captain while Jared tried to refrain from looking embarrassed.  
“So tonight, I am promoting you next to our dear navigator as quartermaster!” He shouted as the room roared with applause. Vidya took his polished sword and stabbed the crate underneath of him. Rum poured out of the mark, the men rushing over from their seats to fill their mugs.  
The captain pulled him aside, walking over to Damien, who remained seated at one of the many empty tables.  
“By the way, it wasn’t just my decision,” he said with a genuine smile.  
“Damien!” Jared yelled over the noise.  
The navigator couldn’t help but let a smile slip onto his face.


	5. Steady Seas Wait Ahead Before The Waves

“You hold the sword this way,” he spoke next to Jared’s ear, grasping his hands over the other’s to fix his grip.  
“Now, you put your dominant foot back to steady yourself,” Vidya said backing away and unsheathing his sword from its scabbard.  
It was a polished gold with a handguard and had a ruby embedded in its handle.  
“What if someone does this,” he said lunging forward to swing his sword from the right.  
Jared blocked from underneath, tilting the sword to his right and countering the captain’s weight.  
“You know, I’m better with range weapons,” he spoke as Vidya backed away.  
“Yes, but you need to know how to fight with a melee weapon as well,” he said raising his sword and striking down.  
“Now what could you of done if I wasn’t fast enough?”  
“I could of advanced,” he said glancing over at Damien who was seated on the ground and reading a book.  
“And don’t get distracted,” Vidya spoke, tapping Jared’s face with the flat of the sword.  
“Are we done?” He said leaning on the sword’s hilt.  
“Once you learn how to hold your sword properly,” he said lashing his sword at the quartermaster’s hand, causing the sword to fall onto the deck and slide away from them.  
“We can stop,” he grinned at Jared’s stunned expression.  
He eventually perfected his stance, effectively blocking some of the captain’s blows, albeit ungracefully.  
His weary movements finally made the other give in and end practice.

Every day, Jared was forced to practice with Vidya until he could fight at a normal pace.  
“Damien!” He called to the navigator seated in his usual spot.  
He quickly got up and walked over to the two.  
“He’s already memorized my tactics, would you mind demonstrating what it’s like to fight a new opponent?”  
Damien grinned, “Let’s see if you can keep up.”  
Jared smiled back, “we’ll see.”  
Neither of them moved until the quartermaster took a swing downwards at Damien’s leg. It was quickly blocked, Damien leaning to the side and letting the quartermaster stumble forward before he quickly regained his balance. He swung down at Jared who blocked it and swung his leg forward tripping the other. The navigator stumbled backward and regained his stance, dodging Jared’s lunge. Before he could swing his sword at the other’s back, Jared spun around and knocked Damien’s sword out of his hands and held its point to the stunned man’s neck.  
He merely smiled.  
“It would look bad if I beat the captain’s pet,” he said with a devious smile.  
“Not something to say when you’re at sword point,” he said with a smirk.  
“You owe me,” he heard someone say behind him.  
“I really thought he would win,” the other said in a dejected tone.  
“He was going easy on ya,” Vidya said joining Damien.  
“Well, I won,” Jared said as some members of the crew cheered behind him. 

Vidya had told his quartermaster of a future trip to America in a year or so when he remembered the bond he had established a while back once he found a crumpled paper in the nightstand which had been missing.  
“We’re heading near Britain now,” he had said when seated on the ground near the captain’s quarters next to Jared.  
He only hummed in response, as he had had too much to drink after celebrating the defeat of another ship. Vidya had told everyone of how Jared had simultaneously defeated four men in combat and how proud he was of the new crewmate. Jared only flushed as the captain continued to compliment him and brag about how well he did in his first fight.  
The air was becoming cold again and Vidya had given him his coat once he began to shiver.  
Jared noted how the coat smelled of tobacco and strong liquor that was most likely from the captain’s own collection.  
“Say, where do you want to go?” He asked out of the blue, still tipsy from the rum.  
“What do you mean?” Jared mumbled as the captain looked down at him.  
“I can take you anywhere, anywhere you want. We’re pirates after all,” Vidya said dazily.  
“Aren’t we technically privateers?” He said with a creeping smile.  
“Not you too,” he groaned as he looked up at the sky.  
The sky was littered with stars as bright as the crescent moon, the still water gently moving the ship ahead.  
A comfortable silence overcame them until the captain spoke up once more.  
“Seraphine says she smells a storm.”  
“How exactly can she smell it?” Jared asked.  
“She usually tells Damien, and she’s proved to always be right. She’s warned us of big storms in the past and we were able to safely dock before they hit,” he whispered.  
Jared leaned against him.  
“We’ll be okay.”


	6. Chapter 6

The Rogue had traveled from Britain and was heading to a German port town that would take a few weeks of travel.  
Vidya had tried to teach Jared a few phrases and gave up when Amora continued to interrupt him.  
Sera had said that she had grown up near Germany and knew some German, more than what she would admit. Vidya would try to talk to her, but she switched between languages too much and left gaps in translation.  
Jared had known some from his father, his grandfather was also a fisherman and had come directly from Germany. He had moved later on to a southern port town in Wales.  
Damien, though he claimed to not know any German, would react when Seraphine would say anything offensive towards him just to prove him wrong.  
Since their last sword fight, Jared had lost twice to Vidya since the captain deemed him ready for ‘an actual dual.’ Most recently, the quartermaster had accidentally sliced down on the other’s arm. He had immediately dropped his sword and rushed over to help him while Vidya reassured him he was fine. The second in command ensured the wound was cared for.

Once they arrived at the port town, the captain was more than happy to speak his first language.  
Jared watched as the captain happily chatted with a trader on the docks. Some women walked up to him once he entered the street and had begun to frantically speak to him.  
The captain continued to smile and talk while the quartermaster felt a twist in his gut. With one last look behind him, he continued with Seraphine and Damien to the pub. Vidya was left behind.  
It was nearing sunset when the captain had finally made it to the bar. Jared and Sera were being closely watched by Damien since he deemed them unfit to watch out for themselves. He had noticed Jared’s upset expression when he had finally caught up with the rest of the crew. He was able to quickly slip on a smile for Amora before she could ask if he was okay.  
The captain had finally strolled in with a smile; he looked slightly disheveled.  
He grabbed a drink and walked over to their table.  
“Those women wouldn’t let go of me,” he let out a nervous laugh and checked over his shoulder.  
“I tried to send them after Thomas, telling them he was German, but they wouldn’t let me go.”  
He sat down looking deflated.  
“Aren’t you popular,” Sera chuckled, taking another swig of her drink.  
Jared remained quiet. Damien noticed.  
“Well now that you’re finally free, why don’t you show us around,” Damien spoke.  
“That sounds fun!” Sera said a bit too loudly and tried to stand before Damien stood up as well to steady her.  
“I think you should stay here until you can stand again,” he said sitting her down again. “Why don’t you go, Jared? I’ll stay with Sera.”  
“What?” He said, having half zoned out of the conversation once Vidya had arrived.  
“You can go with Vidya to look around town,” Damien said smiling.  
Though a bit unsteady, Jared already knew the other’s plan.  
“I’ll go,” he huffed as Vidya held his arm out to hold onto.  
He glared behind himself at the navigator. Damien only shrugged his shoulders with a smile.

They had walked through the streets, viewing the shop windows. Vidya would read a few of the signs when Jared would squint at them, unable to read them.  
It had gotten dark and a few street lights were lit, the path and buildings glowed in the warm lighting as the sound of a few carriages and carts echoed down the empty street as they passed by.  
Vidya had once again tried to give the quartermaster his coat, but he refused stating they were near enough to the ship.  
Jared was still holding the captain’s arm until he hesitantly dropped it down. He was slightly disappointed until he felt a warm hand brush against his.  
He nervously took Vidya’s hand and smiled.  
They continued walking to the ship hand in hand.


	7. Round the World and Back Again, That’s The Sailor’s Way

They were finally heading towards America to pick up their money due for defending their coast for over two years.  
Seraphine said the storm would arrive just before they made it to port. With no other option, they continued on.  
The sky was becoming darker, as the stars were hard to see and the moon began to glow brighter, making the waves strike the boat.  
Jared had just lost a game of cards against Damien, coming in last place. Sera was surprisingly good at cards and came nose to nose with the navigator.  
He had his head on the other’s shoulder, sitting against the captain’s quarters as always.  
“Hey Vidya,” he said quietly, not wishing to startle the other man.  
“Yes?” He answered.  
“Didn’t you say you could take me anywhere?” Jared spoke in a hushed tone.  
“Of course,” Vidya spoke holding the other closer.  
“Do you think,” he trailed off and took a breath. He looked up at the sky. “Do you think we could go to Wales?” Jared envied the captain’s reaction to returning to Germany, missing what it felt like to be somewhere familiar.  
The captain seemed to tense up.  
“I-We can’t,” he said, raising his voice a bit.  
“It doesn’t have to be now, just some time,” Jared spoke trying to reassure the other.  
“No.”  
Jared moved away from him and looked at the man sitting beside him. He seemed to be looking off somewhere distant. The look reminded him of someone else.  
An uncomfortable silence blanketed them until Jared stood up, dropping the captain’s coat behind him and leaving Vidya alone.

After that, every time he would enter the dining room, Vidya would start speaking to him and eventually lead him out of the hall long enough for everyone else to finish up without any food left to spare. Jared didn’t mind too much but didn’t understand what was causing the captain’s strange behavior. This continued until Seraphine eventually had to smuggle food to the quartermaster as he was unable to escape Vidya’s conversation, even when he reminded him he would talk to him later. Damien noticed this as well and tried to stay around him, making sure he was able to continue his work without interruption and ensuring he took breaks as Vidya would sometimes tell him to fix some ties or redo something.  
Jared eventually met up with Seraphine and Damien in the hidden room, still a ‘work in progress’ according to the boatswain.  
“Maybe I’ve somehow upset him, I’m not sure how,” he said with a sigh.  
Damien was seated across from him while Sera sat next to him.  
“Did you say anything that might have bothered him?” Amora asked.  
“Well, I…” Jared thought back. “I asked him if we were able to go back to Wales after we visited Germany. His happiness reminded me of my home I suppose,” he said looking down at the floorboards.  
He saw Seraphine and Damien exchange looks.  
“Is there something I’m supposed to know?” The quartermaster whispered looking between the two.  
“I’m unsure if I’m allowed to say,” Seraphine said, leaving Jared with more questions.  
“It’s the captain’s duty to tell you, I feel,” Damien spoke softly, looking at him.  
The waves through the glass window violently rocked the ship, as Sera gently took a hold of his hand.  
He feared what he didn’t know.  
“You’ll be okay,” She spoke.  
The storm continued, so the danger must be growing.

 

The gray sky dulled the world below as Jared aided the crew in taking down the sail.  
The weather had been this way for weeks. The wind was slowly getting stronger with each day.  
After encountering a few British ships, he had asked the navigator on how they had kept bonds with so many locations.  
Damien told him how The Rogue usually only looked after small cities or towns so they had no ties with governments or systems, especially with the war being waged between America and Britain.  
Seraphine was excited to visit, wanting to purchase new weaponry to keep in the hidden room for emergencies. She told Jared how America’s detachment would leave them a bit desperate for fundings, making supplies cheaper. The quartermaster remained quiet as she rambled on about what to buy. He had been denied pay after their last stop, the captain telling him to work harder. Damien offered to give him some pay, but Jared declined and stated that he didn’t want to take his rightfully earned money.  
Damien argued that the only person who actually spent their money was Sera. Jared only forced a chuckle at this.  
He still met up with Vidya every night near the captain’s room, yet they barely talked. He would try to comfort him and ask what was wrong, trying to reassure Vidya that he wouldn’t leave him if they were to visit Wales. Jared would softly speak to the captain, who seemed to ignore his words.  
The quartermaster started coming later to their meetings and would apologize, stating that he had fallen asleep.  
Every night he would ask Vidya how he was feeling, invoking a gruff response from the captain.  
One night, he finally spoke.  
“Please stop,” he gritted out.  
Jared remained silent.  
“Stop apologizing,” he said to the other in a clipped tone.  
The wind howled while they sat, causing him to shiver. After a few minutes, Jared got up; the cold chilling his nose and cheeks. He wrapped his arms around himself and left. Vidya watched the other walk across the deck. His long hair blowing in the wind.  
He admired Jared, he seemed almost innocent. That’s why the quartermaster couldn’t leave; he couldn’t know.  
The captain remembered how Jared had commented on the air tasting different than the coast near his home. He thought the air was less bitter and the waves more menacing.  
Vidya could only smell smoke as gray had filled his vision.

The next few weeks had passed in a blur. The captain stopped meeting up with Jared at night, leaving the other to stay in the hidden room.  
One day a big wave had struck the boat and sent him and a few crates flying to the back wall. Jared’s arm struck the wall with a thud. He then heard a panel come loose and fall from the wall. It hit the floor with a loud clap; the sound echoing around the now still room.  
He carefully stood up and noticed the hole where the board had fallen from.  
The hole was small and roughly carved out. Reaching inside, he discovered it went quite far and felt a smooth, flat box inside.  
Jared blindly picked it up, reaching both hands inside.  
The box was a bit dusty and had a broken lock on its side. Opening it, he found a pistol.  
The sides were plated in gold, worn with previous use. Carvings adorned the sides while more were etched into its handle. They took the form of waves on one side and on the other, a worn figure which resembled the profile of a wolf.  
Jared tucked them into his coat and covered up the hidden compartment again.

The sky was darkened by the clouds; the sun was unable to be seen. They were halfway to their destination according to Damien.  
Jared had winced when Sera had playfully punched his arm. She reassured them that they had to keep their hopes up though warned them that the ship was unable to escape the storm.  
He had started avoiding Vidya, as he thought the other wanted some space. They had seen each other at a distance a few times, but Jared tried to act as if the captain was invisible.  
One day while Jared was helping Damien with his maps, Vidya had approached him and asked to speak with him on the side.  
“Why are you ignoring me?” He said coldly to the shorter man.  
“I thought you didn’t want to see me after-” Jared was abruptly cut off before he could finish speaking.  
His hair was forcefully tugged up and back to look the captain in the eye.  
“Don’t lie to me! You stopped meeting up with me!” His maroon eyes filled with anger.  
“You were the one that-” Jared stuttered.  
“I should have known. You don’t care for me anymore. Do you?” Vidya’s face quickly switched into a hurt expression.  
Blinking, his face twisted again.  
“You’re with him, aren’t you?” He almost snarled, keeping his volume low as to not alert the navigator.  
“No! I wouldn’t! You know I would never-” Jared cried, reaching out to the other man in hopes of comforting him.  
Before he could do anything, he was shoved back to the ground. The quartermaster fell down and too shocked to stand up, watched the captain quickly walk away.  
He went to pull himself up again and call out for him before someone walked to his right side.  
His voice caught in his throat while Damien offered his hand to help him stand.  
Jared shakily took it and brought himself to his feet. His body felt numb and he felt he couldn’t stand any longer. He looked at Damien, who only pursed his lips into a frown.  
“I-” He only let out a shuddering sigh.  
“I shouldn’t have…” He trailed off.  
“Hey, it wasn’t you,” Damien softly spoke, making sure the other man wouldn’t fall.  
“But I-” Jared clenched his jaw, a lump forming in his throat.  
“I’ll-” He started, “I’ll be okay,” the quartermaster looked back up at his friend. He sadly smiled at the navigator, not affecting the frown crossing Damien’s face.  
The sky darkened while the sound of the waves slowly striking the ship bounced along the deck.  
Damien stayed by his side, accompanying Jared back to the crew’s quarters.


	8. Storm Clouds Have Broken The Sea

The navigator had loosened his watch over his friend. Jared kept assuring him he was fine and stated that he had talked to Vidya.  
He began trying to almost avoid the man. Damien noticed how every once in a while, he would see the captain whisper something into the young man’s ear, causing him to avert his eyes to the floor and his throat to visibly tighten.  
Damien finally convinced the quartermaster to meet up with him in the hidden room behind the captain’s quarters.  
Under the cover of night, Jared entered the room. He was met with the sight of the navigator looking out the window. The man turned his head and gently smiled at the other’s approach.   
He sat next to Damien on the crate situated in the middle of the room.  
“What took you so long?” He asked in a joking matter.  
“Had to escape from Vidya,” Jared laughed, though it sounded hollow.  
“So, you’re avoiding me?” Damien stated, causing Jared to stop whatever reply he was going to say.  
“Y-yeah, I’m not supposed to,” he said, furrowing his eyebrows at the floorboards with a guilty expression.  
“Did he really tell you that?” The navigator spoke with worry, already knowing the answer.  
“I’m,” Jared paused as if thinking his words out before saying them. “I’m sorry,” he lowly whispered like he was saying something he wasn’t supposed to.  
“I understand,” He replied. “I can help you.”  
Both were cut off as the ship violently rocked, resulting in the box tipping and sending the two to the floor.  
Jared yelped in pain when he hit the floor while Damien grunted at the impact.  
“Are you okay?” He said once he got himself up, noticing the quartermaster hadn’t gotten up.  
“Hurts,” was all he whispered.  
Damien kneeled down and tried to hoist him up by the arms only to receive another cry from Jared.  
He jumped when the navigator sat next to him after propping him against the wall.  
Damien saw bruises blemishing his arms from the elbow and up the frail man’s arms.  
He already knew who had done it and knew that Jared had most likely hidden them for weeks.  
“I’ll help you once we arrive at the docks, I swear.”  
Damien took the other’s hand and squeezed it. The brunette smiled sadly back at him and held his hand slightly tighter.

The storm could be seen from a distance, the dark clouds glaring at the ship like a shadowed specter. The land was still far from their place and it was said that they would arrive in a few weeks more.  
The gray sky loomed above them, causing all signs of life on the ship to look surreal and ghostly. The worried crew hastily working and preparing for the storm. The air felt stiff and almost hard to breathe as everyone seemed on edge. Suddenly a loud thud echoed across the deck.  
The door to the captain’s quarters had burst open and hit the wall. Jared had stumbled out and was backing away from someone.  
The captain strode forward while yelling. His vile words causing the quartermaster to flinch.  
“How could you betray me? You did it while at those towns, didn’t you? Just because you didn’t work hard enough!” His voice was harsh and loud, making everyone look back at what was causing the commotion.  
“I had to! Don’t you understand?” Jared tried to retort but was soon cut off.  
“How dare you! I brought you in and you charmed those vile creatures,” Vidya drew his sword.   
“‘I’ll make sure you won’t do it ever again,” a wicked smile crossed his face as he rose his sword.  
The sword lashed down on the frozen man. He fell back and stayed sprawled with his palms on the deck.   
Pain dazzled his sight and his face felt to be on fire. His vision blurred in his right eye as a blurry, dark substance fell down before his face. His breaths were shallow as he tried to pull himself from the ground. He looked up at Vidya, no sentiment could be seen in his eyes, only anger and rage. Jared thought he saw him turn away and go back into his room as everything began to darken. He felt a hand on his shoulder before he could no longer see.

 

It was the silver forest, but something wasn’t right. He looked down and noticed small, violet insects running across the ground. The forest floor was unseen, the small creatures quickly scrambling along it like waves. Looking closer, they appeared to be scarabs.  
He felt a crawling sensation along his feet and looked down at himself. The creatures were crawling up his legs, quickly dragging him under. He tried to scream, but his throat felt tight as the swarm eventually swallowed him up. 

Jared awoke feeling dizzy and disoriented. The world was dark in his right eye. He tried to sit up and realized he was too tired to do so. Instead, he looked to his left expecting Vidya to be there. However, he was met with the sight of Damien who looked to be sitting nervously near him on the ground.   
Jared had been dragged behind the captain’s quarters and spare blankets were used to support his head. A pool of blood sat near him on his left.  
A white rag had been placed over one side of his face; he felt the sting of the lash. The cut ran over his eye and down his face, over the side of his lip.  
“I’m glad you’re awake,” Damien spoke, breaking the silence.  
Jared remained silent as he looked up at the darkening sky.  
“I’m sorry,” the navigator whispered. He barely caught it and slowly turned to look at Damien. Jared tried to smile which sent a bolt of pain along his face.  
“It’s okay,” the quartermaster spoke.  
“I should have tried to do something,” Damien said frowning down at his friend.  
Jared only wheezed out a sigh.  
Another man walked up. He feared it was Vidya. It was the medic, who he had only seen a few times during emergencies.   
The man looked at him with a sad expression.  
“Could you help me sit him up?” He asked Damien.  
They helped Jared sit against the wall and he felt more blood drip down his face and down his neck.  
“I’ll have to stitch this up. I’ll do the best I can, sir,” he said taking the quartermaster’s hand.  
“I’m sorry he,” he trailed off and instead brought his medic case closer.  
The medic removed the rag and drenched it in, what he presumed was rum. He then took out a rag of his own and looked at Jared.  
“I don’t want you to bite your tongue or break your teeth,” he simply stated.  
He quickly opened his mouth and the medic placed the twisted rag on his teeth.  
“This’ll sting,” he spoke.  
Jared breathed in.

It had been about two weeks since the incident and the quartermaster was still healing. Damien ensured he was by his side every step of the way. He was able to stand and walk but felt disoriented with the lack of sight in his right eye.   
Jared wished to see the injury and had told Damien this. No one had a mirror except Vidya so with Amy’s help, they managed to sneak into the captain’s quarters when he was distracted.  
He gazed into the mirror at the scar running from above his brow, through his eye, and down his cheek and lip. The stitches were soon to be removed as they itched and most of the skin had already knit itself back together. His eye was left looking deformed and the eye sliced through, leaving it a pained red with a milky film over it. The lip looked split and the upper lip was dragged up while the lower lip was dragged down by the deep lash. He couldn’t shut his mouth properly, the cut leaving a hole, revealing the teeth and gums underneath.   
Jared gripped the small table under the mirror. Damien had stood outside to keep watch so he walked over to one of the many knives stabbed into the large table and yanked it out of the wood.  
The knife was sharp, he inspected the golden handle. Swirling designs were etched into it with dirt caked in the spirals with use.  
Jared pulled his hair from its ribbon at the back of his head. It was long when he was taken and had since grown to his mid-back.   
He held a dark lock of hair in his hands and began to cut into it. It silently fell onto the table. He continued to cut and had to resort to sawing the hair off. The sound made him squeeze his eyes shut as he grabbed onto the last long strands of hair and cut them off.  
Jared slowly looked up into the mirror. He had cut it just above his shoulders, the ends ragged and uneven. He tied them back with his ribbon into a ponytail. An indescribable feeling of lightness had taken over him. It felt as if he was cutting off more than hair.  
The quartermaster didn’t dwell on the thought and scooped the hair off the table into a nearby waste bucket. Bringing the bucket with him, he almost bolted out of the room and through the door.   
Damien quickly led him behind the quarters and noticed the bucket in the other’s hands.  
He glanced up and noticed how much shorter Jared’s hair was.   
“Why did you cut it?” The navigator whispered.  
“It was taken from me,” he flatly stated before walking over and dumping the bucket’s contents into the murky water below.  
He watched as the sea swallowed up the dark locks within seconds.  
The duo then rushed back down into the hidden room and sat in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't feel like editing this and please tell me if 'Amy' or 'Amora' are seen. I changed her name last minute, and I'm unsure if I caught all the mistakes.


End file.
